News - Microsoft Windows 8 to drop 'Aero'

[Biscuit]

12.04 unity is barely different IMO. Its ok for basic time to time usage but can be a right pain if you are using it daily.

Might give mint a go if its better.

[aidanjt]

12.04 unity is barely different IMO. Its ok for basic time to time usage but can be a right pain if you are using it daily.

Yes, unity is, and probably always will be, a giant pile of turd, killing the long slugged over and finally standardised xdg menu system was just beyond retarded. Thankfully, this is Linux, so you can use the package manager to install something else, gnome-session-fallback, perhaps, for a more classic gnome look and feel.

[Biscuit]

the built in 'classic' mode is pretty much gnome as we are used too isnt it?

[aidanjt]

the built in 'classic' mode is pretty much gnome as we are used too isnt it?

12.04 doesn't come with 'classic' out of the box, just Unity, and Unity 2D, but if you install gnome-session-fallback you'll get that login session option which is looks and feels like gnome 2 so corporate users wont freak out. It works well, too.

[Biscuit]

I must have installed it then... dont remember doing it rhough

[GoodApollo]

Just had a look at mint, looks really good actually.
Might have to give it a try later on.

[Singh400]

It's a friggin mad idea. I love Aero.

[aidanjt]

I must have installed it then... dont remember doing it rhough

Maybe you installed alacarte to edit menu items or something, a good few non-unity-default gnome programmes pull it in afaik.

[Noxvayl]

Ubuntu doesn't have good enough support for dual screens for me to use. Moving browser windows across screens is clunky, making videos full screen is a gamble as to which screen it uses, whether it goes properly full screen or not is a different lottery all together; programs open up on either screen, can't make out why there is no default option and a setting to make it open in it's last full screen location... I haven't even mentioned anything to do with the user interface yet, this is just trying to get things to go where I want them regularly enough to be usable.

Once I turned my second monitor off all was well, everything worked great and I would actually prefer Ubuntu to Windows but I'm not getting rid of my second screen so I'm a Windows user until Linux(Ubuntu) catches up in that regard. I have to admit, though, the last time I tried to sort out dual screens on Ubuntu it just wouldn't work at all, so it is much better than before but not good enough for me to use.

At least with Linux the decisions aren't quite as bad as microsofts where you either do as they instruct or suffer, you have the option to undo the stupid changes or use a new distro that does that in Linux. Microsoft are becoming worse than Apple now, in order for any Metro app to be used you need an account and in order for apps already installed to work you have to have an account... well what if I'd like to use Google calendar instead of Microsofts and sync my computer to that? or perhaps I'd not don't want a calendar online I'd like only a local one. They are, obviously to me, trying to lock users in and I hope it backfires on them because I'm not wasting money on an OS that has half it's features locked behind a Microsoft account login screen.

[crossy]

Just had a look at mint, looks really good actually. Might have to give it a try later on.

I've got a Mint system installed on a USB stick - and it's actually very usable (which surprised the heck out of me). I use it to give me a zero-footprint "personal" computer when I'm away on business with only the work's laptop for company.

Just been reminded of a comment I saw on a Linux forum, namely "Unity is the best argument for a Gnome fan to try KDE". (made me smile anyway)

At least with Linux the decisions aren't quite as bad as microsofts where you either do as they instruct or suffer, you have the option to undo the stupid changes or use a new distro that does that in Linux. Microsoft are becoming worse than Apple now, in order for any Metro app to be used you need an account and in order for apps already installed to work you have to have an account... well what if I'd like to use Google calendar instead of Microsofts and sync my computer to that? or perhaps I'd not don't want a calendar online I'd like only a local one. They are, obviously to me, trying to lock users in and I hope it backfires on them because I'm not wasting money on an OS that has half it's features locked behind a Microsoft account login screen.

Actually that's a very good point - I didn't give it much heed at the time because I do have a Hotmail account. But now you've got me thinking - what kind of privacy invasion does this leave a Windows 8 user prone to? And that's ignoring the small matter you raise - namely are you as a user going to get a "2nd class" Windows 8 'experience' because you want to use something other than Microsoft's calendaring, SkyDrive, etc. Why am I as a user "encouraged" to have an online presence in order to get into my desktop PC? I suspect that "Saracen" will be giving Windows 8 a body swerve for this kind of "big brother - we know best" mentality, and I'm inclined to agree.

[pp05]

I haven't seen too much of it but for a few images of metro so I am going to wait to see what it brings. I have also contemplating Mint for work as I have already moved away from MS office.

For me a useful feature would be seamless integration across all devices given that you're logging into it with one ID.

[crossy]

For me a useful feature would be seamless integration across all devices given that you're logging into it with one ID.

That - from what I remember - was supposed to be the big deal with this. So if you'd got WinPhone and XBox then you were going to be very familiar with the UI. And I also remember reading that even some of the settings for the tiles would be shared across platforms. So sure, I can kind of see the attraction of that for some people.

Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that they'd extend that coverage to non-Microsoft devices, so we won't see a "Metro Desktop" for iOS or Android for example (as far as I know). Although there is an official Hotmail app for Android (I use it and it's very good imho), so who can tell for sure?

To me at least, this sounds that they've decided to take Apple's "walled garden" approach and expand it. Metro would NOT be a sales point for me to drop Android and buy a Windows-based smartphone. Unless Win8Phone turns out to be a sublime piece of coding of course, and Nokia manage to match it up with a fast, feature-filled phone possessing excellent build quality.